How to Handle Pet Shedding in the Home

When you have pets, especially dogs and cats, you're likely accustomed to pet fur getting all over everyone and everything in the home. After awhile you may give up and learn to live with it and do the best you can. Pet shedding doesn't have to be a big problem - there are easy ways to handle it so you can prevent or eliminate quite a bit of the fur.

Groom Pets Often

Brush your pets at least once every other day to get some control over pet shedding. Use a shedding brush to help remove dead hair - brushing also prevents mats from forming. When you brush the animals, do it outside if possible to prevent fur from flying around. Change your clothes as soon as you're finished so you don't transfer the fur onto anything else. Discuss with a groomer how often you should bring the pets in for a bath, fur cut and nail trim.

Keep Lint Available

The best places to keep lint brushes are by the front door and in your handbag. You can brush off your clothes before you leave home and use the one in your bag when you realize you missed a couple of spots, especially on days you're wearing black clothing.

Vacuum Often

Purchase a vacuum specifically designed to pick up pet fur. Other than vacuuming the floor, use the attachments to also vacuum curtains, lamp shades and other hard-to-reach places. Do a quick sweep through each of your drawers and your closet - it may seem strange, but pet hair can end up almost anywhere including places you wouldn't even think. If you wear certain articles of clothing more than once before washing them, such as jeans, brush them off before you put them away. When you put them back into the drawer, it's very easy for the pet hair to transfer into the drawer or get stuck on another piece of clothing. Doing a quick vacuum will remove at least most of the pet fur.

Put Clothes Away Immediately

Leaving clothes out after you wash them exposes them to pet fur that's flying around. As many pet parents have experienced, a basket of clean clothes is also a prime target for the fluffiest cats and nosiest dogs.

Keep Pets Off Furniture

Pet fur transfers very easily, so when your pet sits on the couch and you unknowingly sit in the same spot after, your front will show a nice outfit and the back will show an even layer of pet fur from top to bottom. It's not an easy task to quickly use a lint brush to get it all off, especially if you're in a rush. It's much better to keep animals off the furniture all together, but if that's not possible or preferred, there are a couple of other options. Train the animal to use only a certain area, such as a rarely used seat. Another option is to put a blanket down before your pet jumps up and have him only stay on the blanket - you can also vacuum the furniture on a daily basis.

Pets are definitely worth the hassle of dealing with pet shedding and finding mysterious pieces of fur that end up in the most random places. People shouldn't guess just by looking at you that you have a fuzzy animal at home and with some preventative measures and daily upkeep, they won't be able to.